If you have been following my blog, you know that I’ve stopped eating wheat several years ago, and reading this article about the heart surgeon is one more proof that I did the right thing – as you can see in the article he was eliminating sugar (including alcohol and starchy foods such as bread) and eating more animal fat…

As experts clash over proposals that millions more of us take statins to prevent heart disease and stroke, a vascular surgeon explains why he feels better without them:
When I had a routine health check-up eight years ago, my cholesterol was so high that the laboratory thought there had been a mistake. I had 9.3 millimoles of cholesterol in every litre of blood — almost twice the recommended maximum.
It was quite a shock. The GP instantly prescribed statins, the cholesterol-lowering drugs that are supposed to prevent heart disease and strokes. For eight years, I faithfully popped my 20mg atorvastatin pills, without side effects. Then, one day last May, I stopped. It wasn’t a snap decision; after looking more closely at the research, I’d concluded that statins were not going to save me from a heart attack and that my cholesterol levels were all but irrelevant.
When I informed my GP of my decision three months later, I wasn’t entirely honest. Rather than say I was sceptical about the drugs, I told my doctor I’d quit the statins because they were causing pain in my arm.
He didn’t bat an eyelid. Evidence from the drug industry published this month – evidence I suspect was heavily reliant on data from the drug industry, as Dr James Le Fanu pointed out on these pages last week – may suggest that side effects are uncommon, but previous studies have found that one in five people on statins suffers adverse side effects, from muscle pain and diarrhoea to memory loss and blurred vision.
The GP simply suggested I try another brand of statin. The sooner the better, he said, given that I’d already been off my prescription for three months. “Hang on,” I said. “Could you give me a blood test first?” When the results came back, he was amazed that my total blood cholesterol was lower than when I’d been on statins. After three months without the pills, it was 5.4mmol/l (5.4 millimoles per litre of blood) compared with 5.7 mmol/l a year earlier.
The only major changes I’d made to my lifestyle since coming off statins were eliminating sugar (including alcohol and starchy foods such as bread) and eating more animal fat. Many experts now believe that sugar is emerging as a true villain in the heart-disease story; while after decades of demonisation, saturated fat has been acquitted of causing heart disease by a recent “meta” analysis of 70 studies by Cambridge University.
Typically, I was eating red meat three or four times a week and enjoying butter, full-fat milk and plenty of eggs. You would have thought that after three months on a diet so high in saturated fat, my cholesterol would have shot back up to pre-statin levels — but no, it came down and has stayed down seven months on. Not only that, but my levels of LDL (so-called bad cholesterol) were also lower than when I’d been on statins, and my ratio of HDL (so-called good cholesterol) to LDL was under four for the first time, an excellent sign, according to medical wisdom.
Not that I cared about any of this.
Yes, it was the statins that originally reduced my cholesterol levels so dramatically. But so what? I believe that high cholesterol has been a scapegoat for too long. Yes, it may, in some circumstances, be an indicator of heart disease but there is no evidence of a causal link. In my view, high total blood cholesterol or high LDL levels no more cause heart attacks than paramedics cause car crashes, even though they are present at the scene.
Just lowering cholesterol with drugs without sorting out the dietary and lifestyle factors that actually cause heart disease is nonsensical. Besides, there are plenty of other, more reliable indicators of heart-disease risk. What further astonished my GP was that on these indicators I was now apparently better off in other ways than when I’d been on statins. My blood pressure was down. For the first time in years, I was slimmer, especially around the belly. My triglycerides — a type of blood fat with a causal link to heart disease — were lower than at any time in the preceding eight years. My fasting blood glucose was at the optimum level, whereas a year earlier it had been too high. My total white blood count — a marker of inflammation — was lower.
My blood test for a marker called glycated haemoglobin (A1c), high levels of which are associated with heart disease and overall mortality, were bang on normal. Finally, my level of c-reactive protein (CRP) — a protein that rises in response to inflammation — was extremely low. So, biochemically, I was in excellent shape, better than when I’d been on the statins. “Have you taken up running?” asked my bemused GP.
No, I’d always run. For years, I’d exercised three times a week, eaten plenty of fish, refrained from smoking and tried to keep my stress levels low. The only thing I’d changed was my intake of sugar and animal fat.
That check-up was seven months ago and now, at 58, I’m not on a single tablet. My GP is happy. I feel better than I have in years and, at the same time, deeply concerned about proposals advising even wider use of statins.
Until 2005, statins were prescribed only to those with at least a 30 per cent or greater risk of having a heart attack within 10 years. This was then reduced to a 20 per cent risk. Now, draft NHS guidelines would have them dished out to those with just a 10 per cent risk — in other words, most men over the age of 50 and most women over the age of 60.
I am a vascular surgeon. Before founding a private clinic in Dorset 11 years ago, specialising in varicose veins, I worked in the NHS for 13 years. Back then, I didn’t question medical guidance on cholesterol, and thought statins were a wonder drug. And so they probably are, for men who have heart disease — not necessarily because they lower cholesterol, but because they may cut other risks such as the inflammation-marker CRP. Exercise, weight loss and omega 3 supplements also lower CRP.
But what about other groups — women, the elderly and people like me who have not been diagnosed with heart disease? The evidence that we will benefit from cholesterol-lowering drugs is ambiguous at best. The 2011 Hunt 2 study, one of the most recent and largest, followed 52,000 men and women in Norway aged 20-74 with no pre-existing heart disease, for 10 years.
The results for women were crystal clear. The lower a woman’s total cholesterol, the greater her risk of dying, either of heart disease or anything else, including cancer. This reflects findings in previous studies.
For men, high cholesterol was associated with heart disease and death from other causes. But so, too, was low cholesterol — below 5mmol/l. Again, this is only an association, not a causal link. A range of between 5mmol/l and 7mmol/l was the optimum level. Guess what? This is already the national average. In addition, numerous studies have linked high cholesterol levels with increased longevity in the elderly.
As for me, I have not been diagnosed with heart disease, and nobody in my family has had a heart attack. However, all four of my paternal uncles and my sister have diabetes. Research from Canada, published last year in the BMJ, has shown that statins raise the risk of diabetes, so that gives me little faith. The controversy over these drugs was reignited last week when Prof Sir Rory Collins from Oxford University warned that doctors’ hesitancy about prescribing them to those at risk could cost lives.
GPs are, by definition, generalists. They don’t have time to read and analyse data from every paper on every medical condition. Even so, in a recent survey by Pulse magazine, six in 10 GPs opposed the draft proposal to lower the risk level at which patients are prescribed statins. And 55 per cent said they would not take statins themselves or recommend them to a relative, based on the proposed new guidelines.
If that doesn’t speak volumes, I don’t know what does.

“Jin Shin Jyutsu, Physio-Philosophy lectures and demonstrations offer a way of Being to help MYSELF, help others and to KNOW Cosmic Oneness. In attending lectures one’s insight of innate potential and foundation for expanding one’s awareness and understanding are awakened.”
– Mary Burmeister in the introduction of her Text 1, 1971

Jin Shin Jyutsu is an ancient Japanese practice that balances your bodies energy by using the fingers and hands to eliminate stress, create emotional equilibrium, relieve pain, and alleviate acute or chronic conditions. Through the application of our hands and a listening attitude, our awareness is awakened to our essence and innate potential.
Taken to America in the mid 1900’s by Mary Burmeister, a student of the great Japanese sage Jiro Murai (born 1886), Jin Shin Jyutsu began to spread first in America and later to Europe and then more widely around the world. So far in Scandanavia, Denmark has had classes and we in Sweden are now offering our second 5 day class.

5-DAY CLASS consists of two parts:
Part 1, the foundation, introduces the dynamic qualities of the 26 Safety Energy Locks, the Trinity Flows, the concepts of Depths within the body, and the Physio-Philosophy of Jin Shin Jyutsu. Interspersed with lecture are ample periods of hands-on application.
Part 2 introduces the 12 organ flows,listening to pulses, the Special Body Flows and how these contribute to harmonising body, mind and spirit.

After attendence of one full seminar (part 1+2), a certificate of completion is issued. Upon completion of a student’s third full seminar, a second certificate is issued, signifying attainment of minimum practitioner-level training.
Investment: New students 5970 SEK Review students 3730 SEK
En anmälnings avgift av 1000 SEK behövs senast 1 April
Anmälan till Claire Boelhouwersclaire_jsj@hotmail.com
Maila eller ring 0733 906 259 med frågor

Teenagers often come to the doctor’s office with various types of aches or pains. Sometimes the pains are short-lived, and other times the pain may last for several weeks to several months. “Growing pains” is often the diagnosis given for aches that come and go. Having recently seen a few teenagers with these complaints, it reminded me of how these are not always growing pains but a signal from that body that nutrition needs supported.

The body goes through a tremendous amount of growth throughout childhood that must be supported through the teenage years. So often, girls and boys may suffer from significant pain in many joints such as the knees, feet and hands as well as the muscles, not knowing that the source of their pain is a nutritional deficiency. The rapid skeletal growth seen in puberty requires plenty of magnesium,calcium and other minerals and vitamins such as vitamin D. Teenagers are also hitting an age of establishing independence. This includes what they choose to eat and drink. So much of what is available for kids at school or through fast food is not going to be enough to sustain a healthy body. When the body is not getting the nutrients it needs, it will let us know. The joints will ache due to lack of nutrients to keep the bones strong, the connective tissue limber and lack of essential fatty acids to control inflammation. Soft drinks and coffee can become the beverage of choice for many. This means less water and also less calcium and magnesium as soft drinks will deplete these minerals.

The treatment for growing pains is to feed the bones and muscles what they need to be healthy. Minerals are a very important part of joint and muscle health. This includes calcium, magnesium and zinc. The diet needs healthy sources of protein such as grass-fed beef, beans and eggs to supply these minerals. Dairy products supply calcium, but if dairy products are not tolerated, be sure to include a lot of leafy greens in the diet such as kale. In order to better absorb and utilize calcium, the body must have optimal amounts of vitamin D. This is a critical point as vitamin D is so easy and cost-effective to obtain, yet low levels of vitamin D can missed. It is known to be a contributing factor to pain and should be checked with ongoing, chronic pain [1]. The body also needs essential fatty acids (EFA) to maintain healthy skin and hair, as well as heart and brain health. Essential fatty acids make a nice win-win for teenagers with pain because they help control inflammation that is affecting the joints or muscles, and EFA’s can also help acne. Essential fatty acids are found in nuts, avocadoes (guacamole), pumpkin, coconut milk or oil as well as fish and flax. Three servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables (at least) will help supply the potassium needed to replace losses through perspiration and is much needed to prevent muscle cramps.

If the child is a healthy eater but still experiencing frequent joint or muscle aches, they are not meeting their body’s needs through diet. Supplements may be needed. The vitamin D level should be checked through a simple blood test called the 25-OH vitamin D or 25 hydroxy vitamin D level. The goal of this result would be about 50-70. Values less than 20 represent severe deficiency, but values even in the 20-30’s are lower than goal. Vitamin D can be increased with simple and cost-effective vitamin D supplements or with regular and increased sun exposure done without burning the skin. Calcium and magnesium can also be supplemented at 400-600mg of calcium and 200-400mg of magnesium. Essential fatty acids can be supplemented in two to three capsules a day with food. Muscle pain and cramps that continue in spite of mineral supplements may require additional help from vitamin E (200-400 IU). In addition, vitamin E and selenium may help with growing pains that occur below the knee.

Treatment for ongoing pain requires a healthy lifestyle. If the pain is not improving, check with a doctor about potential causes of the pain. Is diet an issue? If so, try to explain to the child how eating better will help them feel better. Are they getting enough sleep? The body repairs itself during deep sleep. Regular, consistent sleep in a dark room with the TV or computer off is needed to help the bones and muscles grow. Teenagers in physical sports such as football, basketball or wrestling need to know that sleep is an important and essential part of muscle building. I have also seen some vegetarian patients struggle with fatigue, muscle and joint aches because of the lack of certain nutrients. Typically, it is the ones listed above in addition to B12 and iron. This does not mean that vegetarianism is wrong, but children and teenagers who are vegetarian need to strongly consider at least a multivitamin/mineral supplement to meet the needs of the body they may miss from avoiding certain proteins. Water is another part of the prescription. Replace the super-sized soft drinks with water to keep the muscles loose and the connective tissues hydrated. Most sports drinks contain high-fructose corn syrup or many sugar additives that do not make the grade for optimal health. Water is truly the drink of choice.

Don’t be sidelined by “growing pains.” Talk to your doctor and listen to your body. Growing pains are usually a sign of at least one nutrient need not being met. Explore the diet, replenish the nutritional needs and help the body through those growing pains.

Nini Munro-Chmura of New Haven knows what it’s like to suffer from debilitating pain all the time. There were years she was bedridden with chronic Lyme disease, hurting so badly that she couldn’t turn her head or lift her arms. She had to rely on an attendant to take complete care of her.

Today, even though Munro-Chmura hasn’t stumbled upon a miracle cure, she walks for an hour each day, works out at the gym, and easily turns her head. She’s back to being independent.

She says she owes a debt of thanks to an ancient form of touch therapy from Japan, Jin Shin Jyutsu (pronounced “jin shin jitsu”), which is said to be natural, gentle and non-invasive and can bring relief — sometimes immediately — to those suffering from pain or disease.

Its proponents describe it as an energy healing technique that uses the same principles as acupressure, except that no pressure is used. It works by using touch to free up places in our bodies where our energy might be blocked, says Sally Jane Algiere, a registered nurse and practitioner in Madison, who treats Munro-Chmura.

Admitting that it’s hard to talk about the body’s need to balance energy without sounding “all woo-woo,” Algiere says the principles of Jin Shin Jyutsu are simple.

“We do pulse readings,” she says. “I know how to listen to the organs in the body to get a sense of where the dams are. Jin Shin Jyutsu is an art, and it’s really about clearing toxins and clearing dams in the body that lead to stagnation or disease or discord or imbalance.”

During a session — which takes about an hour — the patient lies face-up on a padded table, fully clothed except for shoes, and the practitioner places her hands on different points along the body, known as “safety energy locks,” which are similar to acupressure points. These are the places where energy might get blocked as it moves throughout the body.

“When there is stagnation in the pathways, it can lead to pain and disease or imbalance,” said Algiere. “So we’re listening to the pulses, and by stimulating the different points in the circuit in order, we can free up the stagnation. The body does the healing itself. Our hands are conductors of energy, and when we correct the flow, we correct the physical.”

There is no grasping or manipulation.

“The idea is that we have an electrical system, and Jin Shin Jyutsu functions like a jumper cable, creating a connection between two points, and completing the circuit,” said Dr. Steven Jacob, a doctor of Chinese medicine and co-owner of Health Options Center for Wellness in Guilford. “When I put my hands on the body, I feel a pulse, a rhythm. The longer I hold the point, the more they synchronize.”

Algiere, who worked as a nurse at Yale-New Haven Hospital for 17 years, said she believes very strongly in western medicine and wasn’t immediately willing to accept at face value anecdotal evidence of Jin Shin Jyutsu’s effectiveness. After taking an intense class at New York University, she was impressed with the studies and theory of how this practice worked.

“I was blown away,” she said. “This wasn’t something that was weird. It was being taught by really bright, grounded people, and it aligned well with western medicine. I fell in love with it.”

Jin Shin Jyutsu, which predates acupuncture, is not nearly as well-known as other Eastern practices, such as acupuncture, acupressure and Reiki. Brought to this country in the 1950s by a Japanese-American woman named Mary Burmeister, who learned it during her years in Japan, it has not been advertised or widely promoted.

“Mary didn’t see the need to go out and scream about it from the rooftops. She was more concerned with the depth of her studies of the art,” said Algiere. “She felt that the people who needed it would come to it on their own.”

Now it has a national headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz., and is being more widely taught, gaining proponents everywhere.

In recent years, Jin Shin Jyutsu has been incorporated into some hospitals, providing a way of easing pain and the fears of patients undergoing procedures for cancer or for debilitating illnesses. The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center in Lexington, Ky., recently did a study with 159 cancer patients who were given Jin Shin Jyutsu treatments and asked to rate their pain and stress both before and after. Patients reported a two-point diminishment of their pain and a three-point lessening of their stress after their sessions, with benefits lasting for many hours or days.

Perhaps one of the best things about Jin Shin Jyutsu is that it is designed to be a self-help practice, with people encouraged to learn the techniques and manage their own pain and stress.

“We do things that harmonize ourselves all the time,” Algiere said. “When we stroke our heads when we’re tense or clasp our thumbs when we’re worried, we’re using the principles of Jin Shin Jyutsu.”

In fact, she said, one of the best things you can do for yourself every day is simply to hold each finger one by one, wrapping the fingers of your other hand around them for a few minutes each day. Each finger has its own corresponding organ and attitude:

Algiere stressed that Jin Shin Jyutsu is not meant to take the place of appropriate medical care, and she often refers people to medical specialists. But, she added, it can be a supplement and can help optimize the quality of life for patients who are facing health challenges, or who simply want to maintain a healthy, harmonious body.

For more information about Jin Shin Jyutsu or to find other local practitioners, go to http://jsjinc.net. To see a youtube video about the practice, go to http://bit.ly/122iTX1. Algiere can be reached at 203-245-6767.

I have been a vegetarian for many years, but a couple of years ago I felt that I needed to start to eat chicken and fish again, so I did – but there’s many good reasons here why to eat like this… the main thing is to try to not eat thing that has an ingredient list 🙂 to cook food “from the start”, not processed, fast food etc… or as little as possible anyway. I stopped eating wheat some years ago, that made a big difference for me, as in lesser inflammations, colds, muscle problems and other things…
So here’s an article from Amy Shah:

I hate meat. I’ve been vegetarian all my life. I remember a few years ago at a Pizza Hut when they mistakenly brought out a “meat lovers” pizza instead of “veggie lovers” pizza. I think I threw up a few times that night.

So, naturally, when I learned out about the Paleo diet and its emphasis on bacon, bone broth and lamb legs, I was turned off. All I could picture was a burly caveman with a club in one hand and a hunk of meat in the other. (No thanks!)

But I also knew that although, I was plant-based, I was not always in the best of health. (Muffins and smoothies, anyone?) So I started to read about Paleo and realized I was learning a ton by just absorbing certain parts of the diet. Seriously, these 10 things changed the way I eat and move forever.

1. Eat like your great (or great-great) grandparent.

While I had a hard time picturing myself as a cavewoman, I thought about my ancestors and the foods that they might have favored. Bottom line: throw away the “modern” convenient packaged foods. Literally, go into your pantry, fridge, office desk, or kitchen and throw away everything that comes in a package. If you’re nervous (like I was) just put it away for two weeks. If you still want it later, you’ll have it there.

2. Cut the sugar.

In the Paleolithic era, refined sugar was non-existent and anything really sweet was difficult to get. This one is the hardest for most people because our taste buds are used to constantly craving sweet. And everyone has a different tolerance level—you may be able wean it entirely or you may use dried fruit or natural sweeteners like Stevia (not exactly Paleo) sparingly.

3. Try ditching dairy for 30 days.

Add it back after 30 days. If you don’t feel as good, keep it out of your diet. Dairy is one area where vegans and Paleo folks say about the same thing: it’s inflammatory (for many).

4. Try going off wheat for 30 days.

Same advice as above. For me, this was life-changing. I do have wheat in bread or pasta at restaurants once in a while and then, when I feel terrible, I realize why I stay off it 90% of the time.

5. Stop counting calories.

For example, a 100-calorie pack of cookies is still … cookies. If you focus on food quality, and not quantity, it makes being healthy a hell of a lot more fun. Plus it works.

6. You can’t out-exercise a bad diet.

When I was younger, I thought I could just exercise an extra hour and “burn off” the cookies. To my dismay, it doesn’t work that way. I strongly believe that it’s 80% about your diet and 20% about the exercise. The Paleo lifestyle has a strong emphasis on diet—that’s why people lose weight on it.

7. Don’t fear the fat.

I’m pretty sure that we didn’t have fat-free muffins in ancestral times. So what can you do? Start using more avocado and coconut in your meals. Healthy fat is filling and nutritious! The processed and trans-stuff are the problem.

Think about it: in the Paleolithic era, when fruit ripened in one tree, they shared the fruit with everyone in the clan. Even just 50 years ago, desserts and other treats were not as commonplace as they are today. The point? Treat a treat like a “treat.” Friends’ birthday’s, farewells, baby showers or horrible days at work don’t ALL have to end with a slice of cake.

10. Move.

No, entry into the 2014 CrossFit games isn’t a prerequisite for following the Paleo diet. Whether it’s yoga, CrossFit, running or weight lifting, moving your body helps digestion, mood, and manages your weight. All day movement with burst of sprints is probably the MOST effective exercise out there but honestly it all works as long as you are doing something.

So, instead of organizing a big brawl pitting vegans against Paleos so we can figure out who “wins,” let’s just learn from each other and pluck some universal tips. That way you can label yourself whatever you want or not label yourself at all.

About the Author:

Amy Shah, M.D. is a displaced New York native who pursued her medical training at Columbia University Medical Center in NY, Beth Israel Deaconness/Harvard Medical School, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Cornell University.

Her goal is to help you combine Eastern, Western, and Internet medicine to achieve a life, and body you love. Join her on her brand new website www.amyshahmd.com

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